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to facepalm
01
to cover one's face with one's hand, particularly the palm, often as an expression of frustration, embarrassment, or disbelief
Slang
Grammatical Information
Composition
Simple
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
facepalm
3rd person singular
facepalms
Present participle
facepalming
Past simple
facepalmed
Past participle
facepalmed
What does "to facepalm" mean in reaction slang?
The phrase "to facepalm" means to express embarrassment, frustration, or disbelief by placing one's hand over the face in response to something foolish or frustrating. The structure is a compound of "face" and "palm," describing the physical gesture used to signal disappointment or secondhand embarrassment. It is informal internet and everyday slang commonly used to react to mistakes, obvious errors, or absurd situations.
Examples
In response to the absurd statement, the audience collectively facepalmed, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Lexical Tree
facepalm
face
palm
